The new article “Shared bikes vs. private e-scooters. Understanding patterns of use and demand in a policy-constrained micromobility environment”, published by Oriol Roig Costa in the journal Transport Policy, addresses the differences in patterns of use and demand between electric scooters and shared bikes in a restrictive regulatory environment such as Barcelona.
The study explores the differences in demand and use of private electric scooters and shared bicycles in Barcelona, a city with different regulatory frameworks for different micromobility alternatives. The research, which is based on surveys of 651 users, reveals that the socioeconomic differences between users of these two micromobility alternatives could be explained, in part, by the city’s restrictive regulatory framework. It also confirms the existence of gender and age differences in the use of these modalities, a result that had been advanced in previous research. Although the article questions the environmental and social sustainability of these means of micromobility, it also highlights that shared bicycles have a greater potential than electric scooters to keep private vehicle users away in the long term. These findings offer a practical insight into how urban policies impact different population groups that use these means of transport so popular today.
Photography: Mariona Gil
